Govt should order traffic police to ban entry on national highways to any vehicle without proper number plates
SYDNEY: During my last visit to Lahore, I was surprised to see cars running on roads with self-made number plates. Such a daring, not to mention, illegal, action would be unbelievable in any developed country. However, the use of unauthorised number plates has become a fashion in Pakistan as I’m sure the phenomenon is not limited to Lahore. If you stand on the roadside for a while, you will observe that almost every third vehicle displays a number plate of its own creation. While passing through any automotive market, one can see shops displaying fancy number plates. No action has ever been taken against them. The Excise and Taxation Department publishes advertisements frequently in Urdu and English newspapers but it is always a half-hearted effort against the crime.
As the army chief has said, we are fighting a battle for our survival. Vehicles running around with fake number plates can lead to a serious security lapse. These can be used for criminal purposes. Our traffic wardens do not check such vehicles because they do not have the will or courage to stop and check the same flouting of rules by high officials or politicians. They know the after-effects if they even tried taking any action in such a situation. At the very least, the provincial and federal governments should immediately order the traffic police to ban entry on national highways to any vehicle without proper number plates. I am sure this step will curb this practice to some extent.
Mohammad Bashir
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2016.
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